Description

In this ninth volume of our AMERICAN FRONTIER SUITES series, we bring you five more tunes popular in the U.S. during the years of the Civil War:

The Bonnie Blue Flag

Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground

Marching Through Georgia

My Darling Nelly Gray

John Brown's Body

Most of these tunes are still recognizable today, in the twenty-first century, with John Brown's Body even providing the inspiration and the melody for the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

We are currently refining the downloadable file, which means you cannot download the file from this page quite yet. However, the music IS available, so if you would like to purchase it now, please use our CONTACT US page. Thanks!

Here is the Mississippi Community Symphonic Band performing this suite on March 8, 2014.

If you like, here are some program notes you can use:

In this ninth work of his American Frontier Suites series, arranger David Miller brings us a second medley based on tunes popular during the years of the American Civil War.In this most horrible of internal American conflicts, you should remember that with the exception of a few officers on horses, every one of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers involved marched from their homes to battlefields all over the country – on foot.

Not only was this an unimaginably long trek by today’s standards, it was usually done in ill-fitting boots, or no footwear at all. Most soldiers in this war had boots that were identical for right and left feet.

Empathize with the soldiers of this bygone era now, as you listen to marching tunes and ballads popular in the mid 1860s: The Bonnie Blue Flag, Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground, Marching Through Georgia, My Darling Nellie Gray, and John Brown’s Body.

Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy with us now the ninth volume in David Miller’s American Frontier Suite series, A Nation Divided.

Transpositions Available for Each Part in the
ENSEMBLE CONCERT BOOKS SERIES

This chart describes each transposition available for each voice in the Ensemble Concert Books Series, along with a list of most of the instruments that can be appropriate for playing that part. This will give you a good idea of which books to order, based on which instruments you have. The preferred instruments for each part are highlighted in red.

SOPRANO 1:

In C. This part includes both the high octave, suitable for flute, piccolo, and violin, and the low octave, suitable for oboe or brass instruments in C.

In Bb. This part is suitable for trumpets, (soprano) clarinets, and soprano saxophones.

In Eb. This part is suitable for and voiced for the Eb soprano clarinet. It can also be played by an Eb sopranino saxophone. If necessary, it can be played by an alto saxophone, but it will not be in the right register, and it would be good if the alto sax player could play it an octave above the written notes.

In F. This part will be available only on request. Please allow six weeks for us to produce it. It is available in the event that a French horn or F trumpet is the only instrument you have to play this voice, and it will require a horn player with a good high range to play it.

SOPRANO 2:

In C. This part is voiced for oboe and violin. It is possible for a flute to play it as well, but this part will frequently be in the lower range for a flute and therefore might lose some power.

In Bb. This is the part to get for (soprano) clarinets, trumpets, and soprano saxophones.

In Eb. This part is voiced for alto saxophones and alto clarinets. It can also be played by an Eb soprano clarinet, but should be played an octave below the written notes.

In F. For French Horns.

In Alto Clef. For violas. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks for production.

ALTO:

In C. For violin, viola, or any other C-pitched instrument playing treble clef n the alto range.

In Bb. For soprano clarinets. It can also be played by a trumpet, as it has higher-octave cue notes for those notes that go below the range of a trumpet. It can also be played by tenor saxophones and treble clef baritone horn, but that player should play an octave above the written notes.

In Eb. For alto saxophones, and alto clarinets.

In F. For French Horns.

In Alto Clef. For violas, and those rare (and strange) trombone players who prefer to read alto clef. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks to produce it.

In Bass Clef. For trombones and baritone B.C. players. This part will usually be in the higher end of the range of these players, but not uncomfortably so.

TENOR:

In Bb. This is for tenor saxophones and baritone horns who play treble clef.

In Eb. This can be played by alto saxophones, although it will be somewhat low in their register.

In F. For French Horns. This is not the preferred instrument for this part, but they CAN play it.

In Tenor Clef. For violas, and others who prefer tenor clef. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks to produce it.

In Bass Clef. For trombones, baritone horns, and cellos. It can also be played by bassoons when needed.

BASS:

In Bb. For Bass clarinet and contra-bass clarinet. Also for Bass Saxophone and brass band type tuba/bass players who read Bb treble clef bass parts.

In Eb. For baritone saxophones and Eb Contra-alto Clarinets.

In F. For experienced horn players only. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks to produce it.

In Bass Clef - High. For string bass players.

In Bass Clef - Low - for tubas and bassoons.

MISCELLANEOUS PARTS:

Piano. If you cannot fill in all five other parts, adding a piano player may give you all the extra harmony notes you need.

Drum Set. While not required, adding a drum set to your performances, especially when you are using ten or more players, will definitely enhance the presentation.